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nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors note: Greek legislation states that the flag colors are cyan and white, but cyan can mean "blue" in Greek, so the exact shade of blue has never been set and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time; in general, the hue of blue normally encountered is a form of azure

Countries shown in this late winter satellite image of the southern Balkan Peninsula include Italy (left center edge), Greece (below center), and Turkey (right edge). At upper right is the Black Sea, at center is the Aegean Sea, at upper left is the Adriatic Sea, and at bottom left is the Mediterranean Sea. North of Turkey are Bulgaria and Romania. Moving clockwise from top left are Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, and Albania. North of Albania is Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Scattered fires appear as red dots. Image courtesy of NASA.

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This northwest-looking astronaut photo displays the rugged, mountainous landscape of Greece. Two major landform regions are captured in the photo - the northwest-southeast-trending Pindus Mtns. in central Greece north of the Gulf of Corinth and the Peloponnese Peninsula south of the Gulf (center of the photo). This rugged terrain caused the Greeks to become a seafaring people, second only to the Norwegians in Europe. The capital of Athens (lighter area) is barely discernible along the southern edge of the broad peninsula near the eastern edge of the photograph. Image courtesy of NASA.

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The Parthenon crowns the Acropolis in Athens. The Acropolis is a citadel on a flat, high, rocky outcrop 150 m (490 ft) above sea level and is the highest point in Athens. It preserves a number of ancient structures.

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Close up of the front of the Parthenon - the temple to ancient Athens' patron deity, Athena.

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Another view of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens. Built in the 5th century B.C., it is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece.

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Sculpted processional riders from the marble frieze of the Parthenon.

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View of the rear of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens. The temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena, was built between 447 and 438 B.C. The Acropolis is a citadel on a flat, high, rocky outcrop 150 m (490 ft)above sea level and is the highest point in Athens. It preserves a number of ancient structures.

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A view from the south of the Erechtheum temple on the Acropolis in Athens.

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A close up of the Porch of the Caryatids (also known as the Porch of the Maidens) on the southern side of the Erechtheum temple on the Acropolis in Athens.

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The remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus (Olympieion) in Athens.

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Thirteen of the columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus (Olympieion) in Athens. Originally, 104 columns supported this massive structure, which was begun in 520 B.C. but not fully completed until A.D. 132!

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Close up of some of the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus (Olympieion) in Athens.

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The Temple of Olympian Zeus (Olympieion) in Athens. Construction began in 520 B.C. but was not completed until A.D. 132 in the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian. Sixteen of the original Corinthian 104 columns survive (15 standing, one fallen). The Acropolis can be seen in the distance.

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Hadrian's Arch in downtown Athens was built in A.D. 131 or 132 to honor the Roman Emperor Hadrian, possibly for restoring much of the city and completing the nearby Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Parthenon and Acropolis can be seen in the left background.

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Entrance arch into the Roman Forum and Tower of the Wind in Athens. This area was used as the principal marketplace and agora by the Romans beginning in the 1st century A.D. It was a commercial and administrative center of the city until the 19th century.

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The Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora or ancient marketplace in Athens is the best preserved classical temple in Greece. It was dedicated to Hephaestus and Athena. The Agora was founded in the 6th century B.C. and was the heart of the city for 1,200 years.

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The Stoa of Attalos in the Agora in Athens was a 2nd century B.C. shopping mall with both arcades divided into shops. Between 1952 and 1956 the American School of Classical Studies reconstructed the building and converted it into a museum. The statues on display were once on temples in the marketplace.

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The Lysikrates Monument in Athens. The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates was built in 335 to 334 B.C. to commemorate the award of first prize to one of the performances he had sponsored. It stands alongside an ancient street that once led to the Theater of Dionysus and was lined with choragic monuments. (A choregos was a sponsor who paid for and supervised the training of dramatic dance choruses.) The Lysikrates Monument is the only one still standing in part because it was incorporated within the walls of a Capuchin monastery in 1658.

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The National Bank of Greece old headquarters building in Athens. The bank was founded in 1841.

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The marble City Hall building in Athens was constructed between 1870 and 1874.

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The National Archaeological Museum in Athens was established in 1829; the current museum building was completed in 1889. The museum has the richest collection in the world of Greek artifacts from antiquity.

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The Acropolis Museum in Athens opened in 2009. Its mission is to display every artifact found on or near the Acropolis from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine times.

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The Parliament Building in Athens was originally constructed as the Royal Palace in 1843. It is still on occasion referred to as the Old Royal Palace. It has served as the home of the Greek parliament since 1934.

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The Presidential Palace in Athens was built between 1891 and 1897 as a royal palace. It was referred to as the New Royal Palace until the abolition of the monarchy in 1924. The building has been occupied by the president of Greece since that time.

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The Orthodox Church of Panaghia Kapnikarea in downtown Athens is dedicated to Saint Mary. It was built over a pagan temple in about A.D. 1050 making it one of the oldest churches in Athens.

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A statue of Melina Mercouri in downtown Athens. Mercouri was a world-famous actress who was active in the resistance movement against the military regime in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Later, during the 1980s and 1990s, she served as Minister of Culture. She was born in Athens and was sometimes referred to as the last Greek goddess.

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This image includes many of the islands of the East Aegean as well as part of mainland Turkey. The largest modern city in the Aegean coast is Izmir, Turkey, situated about one quarter of the image length from the top. The city is the bright coastal area near the greenish waters of Izmir Bay and southeast of the roughly triangular-shaped island of Lesvos. The lengthy island at the bottom of the photo is Crete. North of Crete, the small broken ring of islands are the remnants of the collapsed caldera of Santorini Volcano. Image courtesy of NASA.

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This view illustrates the center of Santorini Volcano, located approximately 120 km (75 mi) north of Crete in the Aegean Sea. One of the largest volcanic eruptions in the past 10,000 years occurred approximately 1630 B.C. on this island. The cataclysm created the present-day islands and caldera bay of Santorini Volcano. The caldera rim is clearly visible in this image as a steep cliff forming the western shoreline of the island of Thera, the largest of the remnant islands. The white rooftops of cities and towns also help trace the caldera rim. Image courtesy of NASA.

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Houses perched on top of 300 m (980 ft) cliffs in the city of Fira on Santorini (Thera) Island in the Mediterranean Sea. The cliffs show the many layers of past volcanic eruptions. In ancient times, the island was called "Thera." In the 14th century it was named "Santorini" - in honor of Saint Irene - by the feudal crusader Latin Empire. It was renamed "Thera" in the 19th century but is still commonly called "Santorini." Fira is the principal city on the island. Santorini Island is the southernmost of the Greek Cyclades.

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Houses and hotels perched on top of 300 m (980 ft) cliffs on Santorini/Thera Island. The cliffs show the many layers of volcanic eruptions over time.

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Houses in the city of Fira on the island of Santorini/Thera, Greece.

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View of the 400 m (1300 ft)-deep volcanic caldera off the coast of Santorini/Thera Island. In the foreground is the island of Nea Kameni. In the background is the island of Therasia. Santorini, Nea Kameni, and Therasia were separated by a volcanic eruption termed the Minoan Eruption in about 1630 B.C.

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Interior view of Panathiniako Stadium, constructed for the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.

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Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens was the site of the 1896 Olympic Games. The tablets on the right list the Olympic winners.

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A view of the Olympic Stadium in Athens. Constructed between 1980 and 1982, it was renovated prior to the 2004 Olympic Games. The stadium's capacity is slightly over 71,000.

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The Olympic Stadium in Athens during the 2004 Olympic celebrations.

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An Evzone (member of the Presidential Guard) at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square, Athens.

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The Acropolis, a flat-topped rock about five hectares in area, overlooks the sprawling city of Athens. Various famous ruins, including the Parthenon (a temple to the goddess Athena), crown its heights.

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A view of the city of Athens from the Acropolis.

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The Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens lies on the south slope of the Acropolis. Built in A.D. 161, the structure still serves as a venue for concert performances.

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The Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens.

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A view of the exterior of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, constructed A.D. 161.

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The Zappeion in Athens is used as a conference and exhibition center.

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Olives from across Greece on display at an Athens market.

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A view of the theater at Delphi and the remains of the Temple of Apollo. Delphi was the site of the most famous oracle in the classical Greek world.

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The Lion Gate at the Late Bronze Age site of Mycenae. The archeological site is located 90 km (55 mi) southwest of Athens on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, and Orestes all reputedly lived in the royal palace of the fortified city.

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The monument to Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae, 200 km (125 mi) north of Athens. The memorial structure celebrates a 480 B.C. battle in which a small army of Greeks, led by King Leonidas, held at bay for three days a vastly superior invading Persian force, thus allowing the main part of the Greek army to escape.

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Boats docked at the island of Poros.

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Harbor and ship on the island of Patmos, as seen from the shrine of St. John the Evangelist. According to tradition, it was here that the saint, living in exile from Ephesus, wrote the Biblical "Book of Revelations."

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Mandraki Harbor at Rhodes, the site of a third century B.C. statue to the Greek sun god, Helios. Standing some 30 m (100 ft) high, it became known as the Colossus of Rhodes, and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

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The town of Mykonos on the eponymous island in the Aegean Sea. A tourist destination of sandy beaches and diverse night life, Mykonos is well known for its many windmills.

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Boats in the harbor at Mykonos.

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A sailing vessel plies the sun-drenched Aegean Sea.

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Located 200 km (120 mi) southeast of the mainland, the island of Santorini surrounds a sunken caldera formed by a volcanic explosion that occurred about 1630 B.C. The eruption destroyed and buried Akrotiri, a large Bronze Age Minoan seaport on the island. Excavations begun in 1967 are ongoing.

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Picturesque view of Santorini Bay.

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Rousanou Monastery in the Meteora region was one of 20 monasteries built on natural sandstone pillars in the 14th century by monks taking refuge from the advancing Turks. The only ingress was by ladder or rope and net.

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Agio Triada Monastery is one of six remaining monasteries in the Meteora region that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Each of these monasteries is built on a natural sandstone pillar.

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Grand Meteora Monastery, one of six remaining 14th-century monasteries all located near the town of Kalmbaka in the Meteora region.

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Varlaam Monastery at the Meteora complex is one of six remaining 14th-century monasteries built on natural sandstone pillars.

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Introduction :: GREECE

Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974 following the collapse of the dictatorship, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 2001. Greece has suffered a severe economic crisis since late 2009, due to nearly a decade of chronic overspending and structural rigidities. Since 2010, Greece has entered three bailout agreements with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), the IMF, and with the third, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The Greek Government agreed to its current, $96 billion bailout in August 2015, which will conclude in August 2018.

volcanism: Santorini (367 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; although there have been very few eruptions in recent centuries, Methana and Nisyros in the Aegean are classified as historically active

air pollution; air emissions from transport and electricity power stations; water pollution; degradation of coastal zones; loss of biodiversity in terrestrial and marine ecosystems; increasing municipal and industrial waste

A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire); note - 25 March 1821, outbreak of the national revolt against the Ottomans; 3 February 1830, signing of the London Protocol recognizing Greek independence by Great Britain, France, and Russia

amendments: proposed by at least 50 members of Parliament and agreed by three-fifths majority vote in two separate ballots at least 30 days apart; passage requires absolute majority vote by the next elected Parliament; entry into force finalized through a “special parliamentary resolution”; articles on human rights and freedoms and the form of government cannot be amended; amended 1986, 2001, 2008 (2016)

head of government: Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS (since 21 September 2015); note - Vassiliki THANOU-CHRISTOFILOU served as interim prime minister beginning on 27 August 2015 after the resignation of Alexios TSIPRAS on 20 August 2015; she was Greece's first female prime minister

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections/appointments: president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 18 February 2015 (next to be held by February 2020); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliament

description: unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 288 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 12 seats are filled from nationwide party lists; 50 seats allocated to the party with the highest total valid vote count and remaining seats are apportioned according to each party's or coalition's vote percentage; members serve up to 4 years)

elections: last held on 20 September 2015 (next to be held by 2019); note - snap elections were called because of upheaval in the governing SYRIZA party over a new bailout deal with international creditors

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by presidential decree on the advice of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which includes the president of the Supreme Court, other judges, and the prosecutor of the Supreme Court; judges appointed for life following a 2-year probationary period; Council of State president appointed by the Greek Cabinet to serve a 4-year term; other judge appointments and tenure NA; Court of Audit president appointed by decree of the president of the republic on the advice of the SJC to serve a 4-year term with an age limit of 67

subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal and Courts of First Instance(district courts)

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors

note: Greek legislation states that the flag colors are cyan and white, but cyan can mean "blue" in Greek, so the exact shade of blue has never been set and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time; in general, the hue of blue normally encountered is a form of azure

note: adopted 1864; the anthem is based on a 158-stanza poem by the same name, which was inspired by the Greek Revolution of 1821 against the Ottomans (only the first two stanzas are used); Cyprus also uses "Hymn to Liberty" as its anthem

Economy :: GREECE

Greece has a capitalist economy with a public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 18% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP.

The Greek economy averaged growth of about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, but the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit. By 2013, the economy had contracted 26%, compared with the pre-crisis level of 2007. Greece met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP in 2007-08, but violated it in 2009, when the deficit reached 15% of GDP. Deteriorating public finances, inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on reforms prompted major credit rating agencies to downgrade Greece's international debt rating in late 2009 and led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure from the EU and international market participants, the government accepted a bailout program that called on Athens to cut government spending, decrease tax evasion, overhaul the civil-service, health-care, and pension systems, and reform the labor and product markets. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to 1.3% in 2017. Successive Greek governments, however, failed to push through many of the most unpopular reforms in the face of widespread political opposition, including from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public.

In April 2010, a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating, and in May 2010, the IMF and euro-zone governments provided Greece emergency short- and medium-term loans worth $147 billion so that the country could make debt repayments to creditors. Greece, however, struggled to meet the targets set by the EU and the IMF, especially after Eurostat - the EU's statistical office - revised upward Greece's deficit and debt numbers for 2009 and 2010. European leaders and the IMF agreed in October 2011 to provide Athens a second bailout package of $169 billion. The second deal called for holders of Greek government bonds to write down a significant portion of their holdings to try to alleviate Greece’s government debt burden. However, Greek banks, saddled with a significant portion of sovereign debt, were adversely affected by the write down and $60 billion of the second bailout package was set aside to ensure the banking system was adequately capitalized.

In 2014, the Greek economy began to turn the corner on the recession. Greece achieved three significant milestones: balancing the budget - not including debt repayments; issuing government debt in financial markets for the first time since 2010; and generating 0.7% GDP growth — the first economic expansion since 2007.

Despite the nascent recovery, widespread discontent with austerity measures helped propel the far-left Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) party into government in national legislative elections in January 2015. Between January and July 2015, frustrations between the SYRIZA-led government and Greece’s EU and IMF creditors over the implementation of bailout measures and disbursement of funds led the Greek government to run up significant arrears to suppliers and Greek banks to rely on emergency lending, and also called into question Greece’s future in the euro zone. To stave off a collapse of the banking system, Greece imposed capital controls in June 2015 shortly before rattling international financial markets by becoming the first developed nation to miss a loan payment to the IMF. Unable to reach an agreement with creditors, Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS held a nationwide referendum on 5 July on whether to accept the terms of Greece’s bailout, campaigning for the ultimately successful “no” vote. The TSIPRAS government subsequently agreed, however, to a new $96 billion bailout in order to avert Greece’s exit from the monetary bloc. On 20 August, Greece signed its third bailout which allowed it to cover significant debt payments to its EU and IMF creditors and ensure the banking sector retained access to emergency liquidity. The TSIPRAS government — which retook office on 20 September after calling new elections in late August — successfully secured disbursal of two delayed tranches of bailout funds. Despite the economic turmoil, Greek GDP did not contract as sharply as feared, with official estimates of a -0.2% contraction in 2015, boosted in part by a strong tourist season.

In 2017, Greece saw improvements in GDP and unemployment. Unfinished economic reforms, a massive non-performing loan problem, and ongoing uncertainty regarding the political direction of the country hold the economy back. Some estimates put Greece’s black market at 20- to 25% of GDP, as more people have stopped reporting their income to avoid paying taxes that, in some cases, have risen to 70% of an individual’s gross income. These issues will continue to be a drag on the economy in 2018 and further delay recovery from the financial crisis.

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 18 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation is 1 year for the Army and 9 months for the Air Force and Navy; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2014)

Transnational Issues :: GREECE

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia; the mass migration of unemployed Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

note: 1,094,676 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-July 2018); as of the end of June 2018, an estimated 60,729 migrants and refugees were stranded in Greece; 35,052 migrant arrivals in 2017

a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime